


Reforming the Romance Novel's Male lead

by Screaming_at_an_Empty_Room



Category: Original Work
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Female Protagonist, Romance, Transported
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-12
Updated: 2019-08-12
Packaged: 2020-08-20 04:07:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20221516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Screaming_at_an_Empty_Room/pseuds/Screaming_at_an_Empty_Room
Summary: When a girl finds herself accidentally transported into the world of her favorite romance novel, she is pleased to find out that she's become the story's only sensible character: the unnamed coffee shop girl. Now with a front row seat to the romance, Megan finds that she just can't watch a dark and brooding hero awkwardly stalk his way into the female lead's heart. So she sets out on a mission: to reform him into a well rounded character capable of healthy relationships. But in the end, she may have gotten more than she bargained for.





	Reforming the Romance Novel's Male lead

“Hey buddy! Your coffee’s ready!”

I called out loudly into the busy café, looking around for the familiar face I knew would be there. 

A young man walked up, a baseball cap pulled low in a vain attempt at disguise. 

“Here you go.” I held out the cup towards him. 

He didn’t take it. 

“You didn’t call out the name.” He finally made eye contact with me, his warm green eyes filled with mischief, a slight grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. 

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not saying it.”

“I’m pretty sure those are the rules.”

“Really, Jack?” I laughed, causing his confident expression to slip. “How about I REALLY follow the rules, use your real name AND call out what your true order is: a hot chocolate with extra whipped cream…”

He panicked, holding up a finger to his lips while glancing desperately around to see if anyone was listening. “SHHH!”

“…And extra sprinkles, purple only. “ I held the drink out of reach with a triumphant smirk, correctly predicting he would try to lean over the counter to grab it. 

Jack frowned at his failure to secure his beverage. “The purple ones taste better. And coffee tastes like dirt.” 

I raised an eyebrow. “You know it’s a free country. You can order any type of drink you want.”

“Yeah, but people have… expectations. When they find out I drink little kid stuff like this, they laugh.”

“ I didn’t.”

“Yeah, but you’re even weirder than me.” Jack gave up reaching for the cup in my hand, admitting defeat. “You win. May I have my drink, _please?”_

I nodded with approval. He learned well. I took a deep breath, loudly calling out: “DARTH VADER, your extra tall manly coffee with extra caffeine and bitterness is ready!” I paused; appreciate the general apathy of the crowd despite my ridiculous words. “Better?”

He laughed unrestrainedly, taking the hot chocolate. “Thanks, Megan. You made my day.” 

I waved goodbye to him, and turned back to the counter to help the next customer. Even while I worked I kept an eye out for Jack. Even in the crowded café he stood out. There was a sense that he was special, that there was a spotlight shining on him.

Of course, he _WAS_ the male lead of a romance story.

It had been three months already since I found myself in this strange set of circumstances. 

I had lived a fairly average life before that, a college graduate with a degree that got me nothing, working multiple crappy jobs just to make ends meet. I didn’t go out much, that required money and friends, but that didn’t mean I didn’t have things I enjoyed.

Such as my newest obsession, _Through Fire and Water_, a romance web novel. It wasn’t the best story, the main character was a little dull, and very dependent on the main lead, who was a little too obsessed, dark and brooding for my taste. I still managed to enjoy it however, it had good action scenes, fun side characters, and most importantly, my favorite character of the novel: 

The Coffee Girl. 

Or so I named her. She wasn’t important enough to have a name, not being an integral art of the story. But despite her limited time in the book, I found myself agreeing with her actions most of the time. 

For example, during one scene in the story, the main character Darla is almost kidnapped. The male lead, Jack, of course steps in and beats up the would-be assailants. By the time he’s done beating them up, however, the cops are already arriving. Why? Because coffee girl called them, of course. It was a perfectly sensible thing to do. After all when someone’s being kidnapped wouldn’t that be someone’s first response rather than fighting them one by one like an action movie star? 

Despite her demonstrated common sense, however, I did have some concerns about the character. She seemed overly attentive to Jack, knowing what his “regular” order of coffee was. Even though she had called the cops, she helped Jack escape through the employee entrance, keeping him from the awkward position of being questioned by the police. 

Did coffee girl have a crush on the male lead?

This worried me greatly. As anyone who reads romance knows, no good ending awaits a woman who tries to get between the lead couple. If she was lucky, she’d just end up sad, humiliated and alone. If she was unlucky…

Something had to be done. 

Finally, I wrote the author, expressing my love of the character and the hope that one day she would find happiness. To my surprise the author wrote me back, but the few words they sent back didn’t make me feel that much better:

“Don’t worry. She’ll find her happiness. I promise. ;)”

Distrustful of this offhand reply, I remained very concerned for the fate of my favorite character. Then, one day, I came across a discussion thread regarding the newest update. 

The title of the thread was “Tragedy at the Coffee Shop.” 

_Oh no! Did they kill off Coffee Girl? She was the only sensible character!_ Worried, I didn’t read the fan thread, and immediately made my way to the novel’s website. Seeing the new chapter link, I felt inexplicably nervous as I moved the mouse over. 

_I hope she’ll be okay._ With that last thought, I clicked on the link.

And woke up in a coffee shop.

* * *

_What the heck?_

I looked around at my surrounding, completely confused. _How did I get here?_ This did not look anything like my bedroom or crappy apartment. 

_Not good. _

“Welcome to Heavenly Coffee, what’s your order?” 

The girl at the counter next to me greeted a customer. Looking down at myself, I quickly realized I was wearing an employee uniform, a grey apron with the coffee shop’s logo emblazoned on the front. I was apparently working at this place that I had arrived at unexpectedly. 

_Wait a minute. _What had that girl called this place?

I glanced around, confirming the name of the shop with a groan. Heavenly Coffee. Wasn’t that the name of the coffee shop in _Through Fire and Water_, the romance novel?

_It had to be a coincidence. _As I was thinking this over, a customer waved to get my attention. Not wanting to stand out, I welcomed him to the shop the same way the other girl had. When I asked for his order however, he hesitated, pulling the baseball cap on his head even lower as if to cover his face. 

“Isn’t Margaret here? She knows my usual.” 

Confused, I looked to the girl next to me who shrugged. “She quit last week, sorry.” 

“Don’t worry sir, just tell me how you want your drink and I’ll do my best.” My “customer service smile” was on at full force. Why was I even trying this hard for a job that I shouldn’t even be at?

The man hesitated, and then wrote something down on a piece of paper. Handing it to me with an embarrassed expression, he simply muttered “Here.” 

I rolled my eyes as I took it. _So dramatic_. The guy might be handsome, but seriously? Couldn’t he just say the order out loud like a normal person? Glancing at the paper, I was mildly surprised at the very specific hot chocolate order, but at least it didn’t seem difficult. I shrugged, rang him up and began making the drink. As I worked, I realized the man was staring at me intently, looking shocked. 

“Umm… you realize I have to actually _make_ the drink right?” 

He seemed startled, shaking his head slightly as if to clear it. “Y-yes. Of course.” 

“…” There was an awkward pause as he didn’t move. 

“So… could you go stand somewhere else? I’ll call your name out when it’s ready.” Thinking for a moment, I added. “Oh yeah, what’s your name?”

He still was staring at me strangely. “It’s Jack. “ 

“Okay Jack.” 

“… Could you make sure not to call out what the order is?”

I struggled not to roll my eyes again. “Sure, buddy.” 

With that I kept working, ignoring him until the drink was ready. I called out his name, handed him his drink, and turned away. As I did, I noticed the other girl watching me with wide eyes. 

“What?”

“You talked with JACK HARRIS?!!!” Her voice went up several octaves. 

_Why did that sound familiar?_

“I guess?”

“I can’t believe it! I’m so jealous!” She looked around, and then whispered. “What did he order?”

I got a weird vibe from the girl, so I instinctively lied. “Nothing interesting.” 

I turned back to the counter, catching glance at Jack who was sitting at a table. He seemed dark, brooding, holding his hot chocolate in front of him. All of his attention was focused on another table. I followed his gaze, seeing an attractive quiet girl sitting in the corner, drinking a coffee while reading a book. 

_Seems like a set up for a romance novel._ I chuckled to myself, the sound trailing off as I slowly realized my situation. 

_Wait. _

_Heavenly Coffee._

_Jack Harris._

THIS WAS _Through Fire and Water!_

How did I… I was in the story? I shook my head, it just didn’t make sense. If I was in the story, then what character was I? I obviously wasn’t Darla, the main character, who was the quiet girl sitting in the corner. I took a moment to sigh with relief at that fact. Being stalked by a handsome brooding man with no original personality did not seem like a fun time. 

But if I wasn’t the main character… I looked around, and then down at my uniform.

_I WAS COFFEE GIRL!_

With an excited shriek, I saw my own nametag. “Megan!” I shouted, jumping up and down. “COFFEE GIRL HAS A NAME!”

And then I realized I was talking out loud… very loud. The entire café was still, staring at me. I decided to roll with it. 

“What, a girl can’t enjoy the sound of her own name?” I then turned my back on them, not missing the snort of laughter from a certain male lead. _Oh well, it wasn’t like I had any dignity to lose._

* * *

That night, I found my way to Megan’s apartment and spent time searching on the Internet. Much to my surprise, the world I was in was exactly like the one I had grown up in, with two exceptions:

First, the characters from the story were real people, as well as the companies and organizations that had been described. For example, Jack was the CEO of a tech company, whose online description was as frustratingly vague as the one in the romance story, to my dismay. _What on earth did his company actually do?_

The second exception was that there was no trace that I could find online of myself, the author or the book, _Through Fire and Water._ As far as I could tell, I had somehow transported into a world that was the same as the story of the book. Fortunately I had no major attachments to my former life, so whether or not I could return to it was not my biggest problem. Megan had a good apartment, a steady job that paid surprisingly well for a café, and even a cat. Plus there was the added bonus of getting to watch the characters of my favorite story fall in love. Considering it was still early spring, and the events I had read up to were in mid winter, I had about eight months before the story started in earnest. 

I was more concerned about the chapter I couldn’t read. What had that discussion thread meant by “Tragedy at the Coffee Shop”? Was I destined to die? I wasted quite a few hours, and all of the wine stored in the apartment, before coming to the slightly drunken conclusion that I had no control over my fate even before appearing in a romance novel, so there was no point worrying about it anyways.

And so, I began my new life as a background character. 

* * *

Every day, Jack and Darla came to the coffee shop. Darla was fairly normal, she would come in, order a black coffee, and sit in the corner and reading her book. She never talked to anyone, never caused any trouble, and other than taking up a free table for a couple hours, was a barely noticeable presence. 

Jack on the other hand… 

He would skulk in half an hour later after Darla, trying to be discrete but always ending up looking extremely suspicious. Without fail customers would notice him and report his behavior to me, worried that he was there to hold up the café. He would then come up to the counter, demand to talk to me, and then order “the usual.” Receiving his overly sweet drink, Jack would then sit down at a table and stare at Darla. For hours. It was not subtle. It was horrible to watch.

After a month or so of this, I snapped. Finally, I just couldn’t take it anymore.

“Okay, dude, you really need to be less creepy.” 

I was on my break, and grabbing a coffee and a bagel, sat down at his table with a sigh. 

He didn’t look away from staring at the target of his obsession. “This table is taken.” His voice was so cold I thought the room temperature dropped a little. 

“Yeah… no it’s not. “ I shook my head sadly. “You see, at first I was willing to watch you be a creeper and stalk this girl, thinking I shouldn’t interfere with true love and all that, but to be honest, it’s just way too cringy.” 

He finally turned towards me, irritated. “Go. Away.” 

He had an air of intimidation around him. If it were anyone else they probably would have peed themselves and run away. 

Unfortunately for Jack, he was facing me. 

“Listen, buddy.” I leaned forward, keeping my voice low. “You can hear me out, or I can announce to everyone your dirty little secret.”

His eyes narrowed, and I sighed. “The one about your drink order. Why on earth would I know any other of your secrets?”

“I don’t like that you’re threatening me.” 

“Well I’m sure Darla doesn’t like you staring at her like you’re a starving wolf looking at a raw steak.” 

At these words, the intimidating aura around him, dissipated. He leaned back, obviously confused. 

“How do you…?”

“Both of you come in every day. You stare at her for hours. It’s not a secret that you’re in love with her.” I clapped him on the shoulder. “I know you mean well and all, but the whole ‘dark, brooding, obsessed’ thing you have going on is overrated and bad for a healthy long term relationship.” 

He seemed utterly confused now. 

“There’s a difference between a girl being important to you, and her being the single only significant thing in your life. One is sweet the other… is a little unhealthy.” 

“How would you know?” Jack was getting defensive now. “I don’t see any reason to trust your advice.” 

“You should trust my advice because I’m an uninvolved third party. As such, I have no bias, no motive to lie to you, other than pure altruism.” I smiled. “I’m rooting for you two to get together, but this is just too painful to watch.”

He stared at me intently. “How do I know you aren’t trying to sabotage my relationship with her to get me to be interested in you?”

I couldn’t help it, at those words I threw my head back and laughed. 

“It’s not that funny.” He growled as I continued laughing so hard I almost fell out of my chair. 

“It really is.” I sighed as I wiped the tears from my eyes. “That was great, I haven’t laughed that hard in a while. “ Looking back up at his annoyed face I chuckled. “Sorry dude, you’re pretty to look at, but the whole dark, mysterious stranger bit you have going on is not my type.”

“…” He didn’t respond, obviously still irritated. 

“So let me help you with your romance of a lifetime, and we’ll help you build a nice strong relationship that will last, okay?” 

I held my hand out to shake, but he just stared at it silently.

“…”

I didn’t move it. 

“…”

Finally, with a long, tired sigh, he reached out and shook my hand. “Fine.”

“Great! Let’s get started.” I took a bite of my bagel and thought things over. “Before pursuing your dream girl, let’s try to work on you being a well rounded individual whose life won’t revolve completely around your partner.”

“What do you mean?”

“Besides work and Darla, what are your interests?” I asked with a raised eyebrow. 

He thought for a long moment. “I like managing people.”

“That’s work.”

“Drinking hot chocolate while watching her smile at her book.”

“Darla. Try again.”

“Making money.”

“WORK. You’re really bad at this.”

Finally he threw up his hands. “I don’t know!” 

“Star Wars or Star Trek?”

“Pardon?” 

I rolled my eyes. “Do you like Star Wars or Star Trek better?” 

“What does that have to do with…” He sighed. “I’ve only ever seen Star Wars, and that was when I was a kid.”

“Did you like it?”

He stared at me uncertainly. “Yes, I suppose.”

“Good, then we will reconvene tomorrow.” I finished my bagel and stood up. “Your homework is to think of any hobbies that you might enjoy.”

“But why…?”

“See you tomorrow!” Waving I went behind the counter to clock back in, my break over. 

* * *

The next day when my break came I approached Jack’s table once more, setting down a large pile next to his hot chocolate with a loud thud.

He jumped with surprise, having not noticed me due to his intense Darla watching. 

“What’s all this?!”

“This is your new assignment.” I started picking the pile apart. “Different books and movies that you might enjoy based on what I know of your preferences.”

“We only talked about Star Wars.”

“Which has action, fantasy, sci-fi and even some romantic elements in it.” I placed all the items in a bag, forcing it into his unwilling hands. “Try these, and let me know which ones you like and don’t like, and why. From there I’ll be able to make better recommendations.” I pulled out a list and handed it to him as well. “Also, subscribe to these streaming services and start watching these shows listed here.” 

He took the list, shaking his head. “What’s the point of all this? Weren’t you supposed to help me with my relationship with her?” 

I sat down with a loud sigh. “Let me ask you something: when you finally work up the nerve to start talking to this girl, what are you going to talk about?”

Jack seemed taken aback. “Well… I mean…” 

“Do you know what she likes, dislikes?”

“She likes reading!” He argued back. “I could talk to her about that!”

“And you’ll be able to contribute to that conversation about reading?” I laughed. “When’s the last time you read a book for entertainment?” 

He couldn’t answer.

“You need to find out what your own interests are first, and then you’ll be able to talk to her like a well rounded human being.” 

He groaned, holding his head in his hands. “I hate you.” 

“You’re welcome.” I patted him on the shoulder with a grin. “See you tomorrow.” 

* * *

And so, every day we sat down and discussed tv shows, books and movies. I slowly narrowed down his tastes, surprised to find that he tended to like the more dramatic and romantic works over action oriented books and movies. As he gained more and more experience he started branching out on his own, trying new books even without my recommendation. And that wasn’t the only change. After a few weeks of this, we were in the midst of a long discussion of a new fantasy book series, when he stopped, looking at me with a strange expression. 

“What?” I said it with a mouth full of pastry, but I wasn’t really worried about being rude. 

“What do you like?”

I swallowed the food in my mouth. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, we’ve spent all this time figuring out the books and movies I like, but I have no idea what kind of things _you _like.”

“Is it important?” _I was just a side character, after all._

He thought it over before nodding. “Yes, I think it is.” Giving me a full-fledged grin, he leaned forward. “Star Wars or Star Trek?”

He had made significant progress.

* * *

One day, I sat down, with nothing in my hands. He raised an eyebrow, obviously curious. “No new homework today?”

I smiled. “Nope, today is something different. I have just one question: Who are your friends?” I paused. “Besides me, I mean.”

His eyebrows furrowed. “Are we friends?”

“I can still announce to the world that you can’t drink coffee.”

“I mean, we’re great friends!”

I laughed. “Better. Now answer the question.”

“Easy.” He shrugged his shoulders, “I don’t have any.”

“Why not.”

“Men are intimidated by me.”

I stared at him in shock. “I can’t believe you can say that with a straight face. Groaning quietly, I rubbed my forehead. “I know I’m going to regret asking this, but… what about women?”

He made a face. “That’s even worse, women are all the same. They’re always throwing themselves at me.”

“…”

After a long awkward pause, Jack finally noticed something was wrong. “Umm… Megan? Are you okay?” 

I stood up, quietly muttering to myself. “Don’t punch him. Don’t punch him.”

“Megan?”

“Stay here.” I shot him a death glare, and he nodded up and down quickly, frozen in place. 

I went around the café, talking quietly to a few people. Having found a few of my favorite regular customers, I brought them over with me to his table. Uncertain, Jack stared up at us with confusion. 

“What’s…”

“Jack, this is Clyde.” I pointed at the first man, who looked to be in his seventies. “He is retired from the army. He likes dramas and is an avid sci-fi fan.”

“Umm…” He tried to interject, but I ignored him.

“This is Jessica.” I moved on to a young girl with bright blue hair who I guessed was in her early twenties. “She loves rock music and period romances.”

“Megan…”

“And finally this is Francis.” The middle-aged woman smiled and nodded as I called her name. “She used to box professionally and now raises three kids at home. She could defeat you on any video game console in any game. Trust me.” 

“What is…”

“Everyone, meet Jack.” I gestured to the frozen, confused man still sitting down. “He’s a socially inept, narcissistic jerk who think all men are intimidated by him and all women want to jump him.”

Jack turned pale. “MEGAN!”

I continued. “But at heart he’s not a bad guy, recently discovered a passion for dramatic stories in books and movies, and desperately needs friends.” I turned back to them with a pleading expression. “Would you guys mind sitting down and spending some time with him?”

Francis laughed. “Sure thing, sweetie, anything for you.” She sat down next to Jack with an interested expression. 

“Hmmph, don’t have anything better to do, I guess.” Jessica glared at me for a moment but sat down as well with a sigh. 

Now it was only Clyde. He had on a slightly lonely expression. “Are you sure I won’t be a bother?”

At his question I smiled gently, patting him on the back. “It wouldn’t be the same without you.” 

With that a broad grin spread across his face and he sat down cheerfully. I gave Jack a thumbs up, ignoring his panicked expression and left the group to get to know each other. My break was over anyways. 

* * *

Not too surprisingly, as I had known they were all great people when I introduced them, they all got along pretty well. They met every morning for a few hours, talking and joking about a variety of different topics. A few of my other regulars sometimes joined in, and soon that group became even louder and more fun to watch. Honestly, they got along even better than I had hoped. Jack became less awkward over time, and I noticed that although he still paid attention to Darla from where she sat in her corner, it was no longer with that desperate, lonely atmosphere, as if his entire world centered around one person. He was hardly recognizable from the brooding intense person I had met before, who sat alone and stared at a girl for hours on end.

* * *

Not that there weren’t some growing pains. We were still working on a few common sense things. Like the time Jessica’s boyfriend dumped her, and I had to stop Jack from hiring an assassin to track him down. Or the time Clyde’s credit card got denied, and so he bought the whole company and paid off his debt. Or when new smart phones showed up at Francis’s house for all her kids. It was sweet, but a little over the top.

* * *

But still, the plan was going well…

Or so I thought.

“And that’s when I pushed him out into the street, no pants and all!” Francis finished her slightly raunchy tale to the sound of all of us laughing. The ending caught me at just the wrong moment, and I choked on my coffee while laughing. Jack had to beat on my back with his hand while I tried to cough the hot beverage out of my trachea. 

“You’re gonna kill me with your stories one day, Francis.” I wiped the tears from my eyes, still chuckling despite the sore throat. 

Francis grinned. “I can’t do that, Jack would never forgive me if I was the cause of him losing his precious girlfriend.” 

“…” _Girlfriend? _

I shook my head with a smile. “You got it all wrong. Jack and I are _friends_.”

“Really?” Jessica raised an eyebrow 

“Really.” I answered firmly. “He’s in love with someone else. I’m actually helping him out in romancing her.” 

The table was quiet, everyone wearing skeptical expressions. I turned to Jack, thinking hard.

“Which reminds me, I think it’s time we move on to the next phase.”

He sighed. “What’s the next phase?”

“Actually talking to her.” I smiled pulling him out of his chair. “Go, ask her about the book she’s reading.” 

He glanced over, surprised. “I read that book last week.”

“I know.” I winked. “I wanted to make sure you were prepared.” Pushing him towards her slightly, without giving him a chance to refuse, I sat down at the table with the group, preparing to watch the show. 

“Do you really know what you are doing?” Clyde seemed a little upset, which I couldn’t understand. 

“Trust me, they’re meant for each other. “ 

I chuckled quietly, watching as Jack sat down with Darla and started a conversation. It seemed natural and easy. I silently cheered for Jack in my mind, carefully staying quiet as to not break the atmosphere I saw building over there. And if there was a small burning sensation deep in my chest, I excused it as being a residual pain from accidentally breathing in my coffee instead of drinking it. 

Clyde didn’t seem convinced by my words. “If you say so…” 

Slightly confused by the uncomfortable tension at our table, I excused myself and clocked back into work. 

* * *

The next day when Darla came in to order her coffee, I stopped her for a moment, curious to know how Jack had done yesterday. 

“So, I saw you and that young man were getting along pretty well yesterday.” I grinned as I poured her coffee.

Her expression didn’t change. “I guess.”

_Uh oh._ Slightly disconcerted by her casual dismissal. I tried pushing harder. “I mean, it must be nice spending time with such a nice handsome guy, right?”

She took the coffee from me, looking slightly annoyed. “I mean, sure, if you like that kind of guy I guess. 

My stomach dropped. “What kind of guy?”

“Nice, friendly… boring.”

_Boring?_ Before I could ask, she continued. 

“I like dark, brooding mysterious guys better, you know…” she lifted the book in her hand as an example. “Like what you read in romance novels.” 

_Oh no._ “But… those kind of guys are one dimensional!” 

“I want the kind of guy who would destroy someone for just looking at me wrong…”

“So a criminal.”

“Who would buy an airplane and take me on a whirlwind trip around the world without notice.”

“Wouldn’t that be a little irresponsible?”

“Who is mysterious and secretive and doesn’t get along with others well.”

“I… I can’t…” I held my head, which was now pounding and groaned. Not noticing my discomfort, Darla smiled, sipped her coffee and returned to her table. I crouched down on the floor, feeling terrible. 

_What had I done?_

“Are you okay?” a familiar voice called out. I looked up to see Jack’s concerned face leaning over the counter. 

I felt so guilty; I could barely make eye contact. “Just reconsidering all my life choices.”

“Okay…” he frowned, seeing me staying on the floor. “Can I help out? I’m kind of worried. You’re not your normal weirdly overconfident and pushy self.”

“I’ll be fine.” I waved a hand. “Just give me a minute and I’ll make your drink.” 

“That’s not important.” He seemed almost ready to jump over the counter to check on me, so I stood up, forcing a smile. 

“I’m okay, really. I just need to think through some things.” 

“If that’s what you want… just know if you need to talk, I’m here.” He grinned. “After all, you’ve been helping me out with all my life problems. The least I can do is return the favor.”

I felt even worse. “Thanks.”

* * *

That night I sat in my apartment. Thinking things through. I had been so focused on helping Jack become a well-rounded, adjusted person that I had forgotten that Darla had fallen for old, broody Jack in the book. 

_Had I ruined his chances at love?_

Worried, I devised a new plan. I didn’t want to tell Jack to return to how he used to be. If nothing else, he seemed a lot happier now. He had hobbies, friends and interests outside of work and love. He was a wonderful person and would make a great boyfriend.

I just needed to convince Darla of that. 

* * *

I started operation: “Help Darla see the Light” the very next day. 

My first actions were subtle, lending her some books I told her I thought she would enjoy. These were handpicked romance novels that showed healthy relationships and well rounded characters. Hopefully, I could slowly change her view on what romance meant. I also started dropping hints to her every day about how great Jack was, and despite myself, about how “mysterious” and “dark” I thought his background was. Honestly, I tried everything I could to help get her interested. I didn’t see many results right away, but hopefully, if I persisted, I could slowly change her mind about her taste in men.

As for Jack… 

Despite my lack of attention, he seemed to be doing just fine. I noticed that he still met with his group of coffee shop regulars, although the conversations seemed more serious and subdued these days. Even more disconcerting was the fact that as they were talking, they would frequently look over at me, and they always changed the subject whenever I got near. 

_Maybe they were giving him different advice on how to approach Darla and didn’t want me to know?_

After considering this, I decided not to interfere. After all, I hadn’t been all that successful at helping his love life so far.

Not that I was completely out of the loop. Once, after a long conversation with the group, he approached me with a nervous expression. 

“Hey Megan?”

I looked up, surprised. “Do you want a refill?” He normally only drank one cup. 

“No, I just have a question.” He fidgeted uncomfortably. “So if one were to get a girl that someone has… special feeling for, what should that person get?”

I laughed. “Why are you being so awkward, you want advice on what present to get Darla?”

“I didn’t say that.” He was frowning, and I couldn’t help but laugh a little more. 

“Okay, so the gift depends on who you are getting it for.”

He thought it over. “Well, I want to really show her how much I care, so what about something big, like a new car, or a vacation home!”

I sighed. “Why do I even try?” I asked the heavens. 

“What?” 

“Big flashy presents like that when you two aren’t even in a relationship is too weird. Plus, if you bought her a car or a home, she would have to pay the upkeep for it. It would end up being more of a burden than a present.” 

He seemed upset. “Then how do I express how much I care?”

“The thought means more than the actual present. Get her something she cares about, is interested in. That means you have spent time thinking about her and what she likes, and that time and consideration is really what conveys the most.” 

“Really?” He seemed unconvinced. 

“Yeah.” 

“Thanks!” He walked away and rejoined the coffee group. They then put their heads together, talking seriously. I ignored the sidelong glances they sent my way, and refocused my efforts on trying to convince Darla that Jack was a great guy. 

* * *

He must have appreciated my advice, however, as he brought by a thank you present a few days later, a book that I had been wanting to buy but was waiting for it to come out in trade paperback to be cheaper. I felt really grateful, touched that he had remembered that I liked that series. I was pretty sure I had only mentioned it offhandedly a few months back. It made me feel even worse that I had so far been unsuccessful at changing Darla’s mind about Jack.

* * *

A few more months passed, without incident. The only change was that Jack and I now met a frequently outside of the coffee shop. We hadn’t been spending any time together alone since his group of café friends had taken off. Then, Jack approached me about helping him learn how to hang out normally with others, outside the café. I had been surprised, asking why he hadn’t talked to Francis of Clyde instead, but he simply shrugged and answered. “I trust you the most.”

_How could I say no to that?_

So we hung out two or three times a week, checking out local restaurants, watching movies and television, and sometimes just hanging out and talking. He opened up about a lot of things about himself I hadn’t even known despite having read the book, and in turn I told him about my life before I appeared in this story, without specifically telling him the “transported to a different world” bit. 

* * *

“You really didn’t have too many friends before either, huh?” He had laughed at that, causing me to glare at him. 

“It’s not too late for me to publically humiliate you, you know.”

He just laughed harder. “I’m pretty sure nothing you do can be worse than introducing me to a group of strangers as a ‘socially inept narcissist.’”

“… Good point.” 

After I conceded he finally stopped laughing, standing up with a grin. “Want to grab some dinner? We can go to that awful burger place you love so much.” He held out a hand towards me.

“You just have no taste.” I took it with an answering smile, using his hand as leverage to help myself stand up. “Let’s go…” 

_And then I felt it, just as our hands made contact. _

My heart skipped a beat. I paused, nervous, suddenly overly conscious of how close we were together and how warm his hand felt in my own.

Jack leaned in closer, concerned. “Are you okay? You turned red.” He touched the back of his hand to my forehead, causing me even further confusion. 

I waved him away. “I’m fine, I’m just… a little more tired than I thought I was. How about we catch dinner some other time?”

“Are you sure…?” He tried to ask more, but I was already gone. 

I raced back to my own apartment, slamming the door behind me before sinking to the floor. 

_This was not good. This wasn’t good at all._

I hadn’t really noticed the slight changes over the last months in how I saw Jack. A slight happier feeling whenever he was in the café. A smile appeared on my face whenever he laughed. A frown whenever he looked unhappy. I enjoyed talking with him, joking around with him, watching movies with him. Watching him befriend others, and go over the top trying to show them he cared. Helping him discover new things, and seeing the grin on his face whenever he found something that he really liked. 

Laughing, fighting, and everything in between. 

_Since when had how I felt about him taken such a drastic turn? _

I thought about the amount of time we spent together, and how little interest I had had lately in helping Darla change her mind. No wonder I had been so unenthusiastic lately about getting them together. 

I didn’t want them to get together.

I swallowed uncomfortably, staring blankly at the walls of my apartment. 

_Oh crap. _

_I was in love with Jack._

* * *

I tried to turn things around. I stopped hanging out with Jack outside of the café, starting decreasing the number of conversations we had. It hurt, but fortunately I had plenty of friends from the regulars of the café so I become completely alone and miserable.

Jack noticed I was different, how could he not?

He asked me over and over what was wrong, but I avoided answering. I didn’t want to tell him the truth. I had betrayed his trust. 

_ “How do I know you aren’t trying to sabotage my relationship with her to get me to be interested in you?”_

He had asked me that when we first met, and I had laughed. 

Now those words haunted me, and I wasn’t laughing anymore. I redoubled my efforts to convince Darla that Jack was worth it, but unfortunately wasn’t seeing much success. 

“If he’s that great of a guy, then why don’t you date him?!” She finally asked me with exasperation one day, before leaving the café. I stared after her, at a lost for words. 

_What do I do now?_

* * *

Before I knew it, it was winter. The original story in the book hadn’t even started, so I felt fairly relieved that whatever the “Disaster at the Coffee Shop” that the fans had been discussing, would be averted.

I was now rethinking that relief.

“HANDS in the air!” A masked man held a gun pointed at me, his two buddies to either side covering the room. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” I grumbled, holding my hands up.

_Wasn’t this the kidnapping scene?_ It had been one of the last chapter I had read of the novel before I disappeared. Masked men had come to kidnap Darla in the book, wanting to hold her for ransom against Jack, whose open affection for the girl had made her a target. He rushed in like a super hero, beating them up, and coffee girl had called the cops, becoming the true savior of the hour.

So why on earth were they pointing guns at me?

“Now you’re coming with us, lady.” The man grinned, an unsavory expression. “Don’t worry, we’ll make sure not a hair on your head is hurt, as long as your boyfriend coughs up the money.” 

I rolled my eyes. “For the last time, Jack and I are not dating!”

He snorted with disbelief. “Then why were you at his house?”

“We were watching the newest Star Trek show.” 

“You expect me to believe that?”

I shrugged. “Ask me anything about the plot, I can tell you!” 

“That doesn’t prove anything!” 

_What a disaster. _I cleared my throat. “Can I ask you something? Since he’s not my boyfriend, he probably won’t pay my ransom. Could you just let me go then?”

“Nope. Kidnapper rules are explicit, either he pays or I kill you.”

“Dangit.”

Looking around the room, I spotted Clyde circling behind one of the gunman. Not wanting them to notice him. I started talking loudly, saying whatever was at the top of my head. 

“WELCOME TO HEAVENLY COFFEE, WHAT KIND OF DRINK CAN I GET FOR YOU TODAY?”

Everyone stared at me with shock. 

One Gunman laughed. “I think she’s gone crazy with fear.” 

“I guess so.” The leader shook his head and stepped closer, approaching the counter. “Now don’t give us any trouble…” 

“NOW!” I yelled, grabbing a pot of coffee and throwing the contents in the leaders face. He screamed with pain, dropping his gun as he clawed at his eyes. 

Clyde tackled one of the other gunman, knocking him down and hitting him with his cane. The other kidnapper started to take aim at him, only to be knocked out by a well aimed punch from Francis. Jessica immediately stepped forward and restrained the two henchmen using their own belts.

“Nice!” I gave them all a thumbs up. 

Francis grinned back. “Wasn’t a champion boxer for nothing!”

All three men were down, and I was just starting to relax when Jack rushed in from the door. 

“Just in time!” I smiled at him. “We just took care of them.” He looked down, his face unreadable, and then stared back at me. 

“Did you call the police?” His voice was quiet. 

I thought about it, shocked that I had forgotten. “No I guess not. I didn’t really have time…”

“Don’t you have a silent alarm button at the counter, just inches away?” He stepped closer, still speaking just above a whisper. 

“True… but.”

“Maybe that would have been safer, then trying to take them on like a action movie star?” He suggested, the words almost seeming to get stuck in his throat. 

The leader finally recovered from the coffee attack, trying to stand up with a snarl. “I’ll kill you, you BIT…” 

SLAM!

Without changing expression, Jack grabbed the man’s face and slammed it into the counter. 

Wow. 

“Now who’s acting like an action star?” I backed away slightly. 

“I already called the police before I came in.” 

_That’s… different. _Didn’t Jack want to avoid any public attention? In the book he had actively worked alone to keep the cops from getting involved. 

“Why would you…?”

“Do you really think I would take a chance on you getting hurt?” His voice shook as he rubbed his forehead, staring at me with a pained expression. “Please use common sense, Megan.” 

Wasn’t that my complaint when I read the chapter? When had things gone so far off script?

I sighed, giving up on arguing. “I’m sorry.”

“Good. Please don’t fight armed kidnappers barehanded again. I don’t think my heart could take it.” He sighed, leaning against the counter. Finally he looked up, smiling at the other regulars in the room. “Thanks for helping her out, guys.”

“Anytime!” Clyde grinned, clutching his cane to his chest, still sitting on one of the unconscious would be kidnappers. 

“Now’s your chance!” Francis told him, her eyes bright with excitement. 

Suddenly, Jack’s expression was no longer calm. He looked panicked. “What, now?”

“YES!” Francis pumped a fist into the air, not noticing that she had stepped on the masked man she had knocked out. 

“We’re cheering for you!” Clyde added. 

“Seriously, before we die of old age.” Was Jessica’s only comment.

“Guys?” I asked uncertainly, “What’s going on?” 

Jack stepped forward, straightening his shoulders as if resolving himself to something. 

“Megan.”

“Yes?”

“I love you.”

“…” My brain froze. “Umm… what?”

He sighed. “ I love you.”

“You… you can’t…”

“What? I can’t fall in love with the girl who I’ve spent every day talking to for the last 8 months?” He grinned. “The one who is obsessed with Star Trek, and cries very time she watches Spock die in the _Wrath of Khan_, even though she knows he comes back in the next movie?”

“…”

“The one who can’t leave anyone alone, and has to help people be friends? Who saw an awkward guy brooding all alone and suddenly pushed him into a bigger world of friends, fun and laughter?” He shrugged. “Sorry to tell you, but I’ve got a thousand reasons for being in love with you. And thanks to your hard work and the work of my friends, I think I’m become fairly well balanced individual who could be in a healthy relationship.” He paused, looking a little nervous. “ If said girl agrees to being in that relationship of course.”

“…” I continued staring at him in shock. The silence dragged on uncomfortably. 

“Umm… Megan.” Francis staged whispered. “This is where you say something!”

“So…” my voice broke. 

Jack stepped forward again. “What did you say?”

“So cheesy!” I laughed; feeling myself starting to cry and trying desperately to hold it back. “How on earth did you come up with such a corny speech?”

He looked even more nervous. “I thought it was a good idea at the time.”

“It was.” I couldn’t help it. I burst into tears. 

When I had gotten over the initial tidal wave of emotion, I looked up into Jack’s horrified face. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t think it would upset you so much!” 

I sniffed, trying to keep my nose from running. “What?” 

“I’ll leave you alone. I won’t bother you again.” He started backing away, only to be held in place by Francis. “Let me go!”

“No, Sweetie, you need to stay.” 

He tried to break free, but couldn’t escape her iron grip. “I made her cry!” 

“Yeah, but they’re tears of relief.” Jessica’s words made him freeze in place and slowly he turned back to look at me. 

I glared at her, my face red. “Do you have to tell everyone?”

She was unimpressed. “I’m not the one who cried at hearing the guy I like confess.”

_She was right. Dangit. _

“Wait!” Jack was hopelessly confused. “What does that mean?”

“It means I love you too.” I groaned covering my face. “This is really embarrassing. Can I just go bury myself somewhere?”

Suddenly I was swept up in a tight embrace. “Nope!” Was his cheerful answer. “You’re stuck with me now! Embarrassing or no.” 

I glared at him, but he seemed only happier. “Don’t push it.”

“Too late. It’s just going to get even more awkward and embarrassing from here out.”

I took in a deep breath. “JACK ORDERS HOT CHOCO… MMMPHH” Jack covered my mouth with a hand, laughing.

“Alright you win, no more embarrassing stuff.”

“Aww, why didn’t you kiss her?” Francis complained. “It would have been perfect!” 

He rolled his eyes. “I’m not kissing her for the first time just to shut her up!” 

He looked down, muttering. “That’s a fourth or fifth kiss thing at least.”

“What was that?”

“Nothing!” He turned back to our friends. “How about we go to dinner to celebrate?”

“POLICE!” The cops rushed in, weapons drawn. 

He sighed. “After we handle all the paperwork.” 

And that was how the main character of a romance story fell in love with a no name side character.

* * *

* * *

##  **JACK’S STORY **

I met a weird girl in the coffee shop. 

I normally went there every day, to look at the woman I was in love with. She was beautiful, quiet, graceful, sitting in the corner quietly, drinking coffee while reading a book. I didn’t trust others, having grown up to be above them. I especially didn’t trust women, who saw me a prize to compete for. But something about this woman caught my eye. Entranced. I would sit in the café for hours, staring at her. Wondering what she sounded like, what she was thinking while she smiled. 

Of course the problem was I had to buy something to sit there. 

I despised the taste of coffee, and didn’t even like smelling it too much. So I compromised, ordering a hot chocolate. The older woman who worked at the shop and I had an understanding, and everything went smoothly. 

Until she was replaced by Megan. 

Seeing as I had no choice, I wrote down my order and gave it to her, all the while expecting her to burst out into laughter or give me a weird stare. 

Instead, she shrugged, rang me up and started making my order. 

She then asked me to stop staring at her, and to leave her alone to make my drink. 

_What a weird girl. _

At least the hot chocolate she made was good, even better than the employee who worked before her. 

I sat down at my usual table, watching the woman I love, when all of a sudden I heard a loud shout. 

“COFFEE GIRL HAS A NAME!”

I shook my head, unable to hide a snort of laughter. 

* * *

I didn’t think of her again, until she sat down at my table uninvited. 

She then proceeded to tell me that I was a creepy stalker, and needed to change my life so that I could pursue a healthy relationship. 

It was a strange accusation, but something in the seriousness of her manner and the casual way she approached me made me want to believe she really wanted to help me.

Still, I never really trusted anyone. I accused her of trying to get me to fall for her instead. Her response was to almost fall out of her chair with laughter. 

I felt slightly insulted. It wasn’t like I was a hideous monster, right?

She then proceeded to help me develop hobbies and interests. I watched all kinds of movies and read different books. Each day we would discuss them, talking about why I liked or didn’t like certain stories. She always had new recommendations, and her insights into the plots often made me appreciate what I was watching even more.

Unwillingly, a curiosity within me was born. _What kind of stories did she like?_

Then came the day she forced me to make friends. At first I was skeptical, looking at the widely different group of people she had gathered to spend time with me. To my surprise however, they were friendly people, and time passed easily whenever we sat down and talked together. Since we were all regulars at the coffee shop anyways, it seemed only natural to continue meeting up and chatting. My days passed more quickly now, and I never remembered having so much fun.

Then, Francis called Megan my “girlfriend.” 

She froze, and then shook her head without hesitation, declaring we were just friends. 

My stomach sank, my heart hurt, and suddenly, I felt like I was having trouble breathing. 

Not noticing my distress, Megan pushed me over towards the girl I had once obsessed over, telling me to start a conversation. Then I realized she had even made sure to lend me books that the girl in the corner had been reading, so we would have something in common to talk about. 

_Why did she go so far for me?_

Feeling depressed, I sat down and had a brief conversation. It wasn’t unpleasant, but it was nothing like the earth shattering event I had once thought it would be. If anything the girl seemed bored. I was glad when we parted. 

* * *

The next day the group gathered around. 

“How have you not confessed to Megan yet?!” Francis asked, agitated. 

I was shocked. “What?” 

Jessica shook her head. “You seriously don’t realize that you like her?” 

“I…” I thought it over, realizing that without me knowing it, the person I looked forward to seeing the most every day was no longer the girl in the corner, but the weird one behind the counter. And it was no longer a vague obsession, a thought that she was perfect or wonderful. This was a full-fledged feeling, born from months of interacting with her on a daily basis. 

I was in over my head. 

I groaned. “I’m so screwed.”

“Don’t worry.” Clyde smiled kindly, patting me on the back. “We’ll help you out.“

And thus Operation: “Get Megan and Jack together” was begun.

Our group met daily, discussing strategies. Megan must have noticed something was odd, but to my dismay, she seemed obsessed with trying to talk me up to the girl I used to have a crush on, telling her how wonderful I was. 

Not that it wasn’t great to hear the girl I liked praising me. 

I just wished it wasn’t all to set me up with another girl. 

* * *

I came up with gift ideas, and fortunately talked to Megan in time to realize that the Porsche i had bought was a really bad idea. I was really glad that I had time to return it before she realized what I had done. Instead I worked on getting her thoughtful gifts, like books she wanted. These little things seemed to make her happy, and every time she smiled I was content. 

“He’s got it bad, guys.” Francis commented at one of our meetings. 

“They need to spend time together outside of her work!” Clyde insisted. 

  
Taking his advice, I invited her to hang out, using the excuse of “wanting to get used to spending time with others.” It seemed flimsy, but she happily accepted and the time we spent together increased. 

I had never been happier. 

Now if only I could tell her my feelings. 

Before I could work up the nerve, however, something changed. Megan started avoiding me, keeping our conversations short and to the point. We stopped meeting out of the café, her excuses not to see me becoming more and more suspicious. 

Had she realized how I felt?

Our group discussed this, but the four of us couldn’t come to a conclusion. 

“He just has to tell her how he feels.” 

“Isn’t that a little soon?” I asked, nervous. 

“No.”

“Nope.”

“Definitely not.” 

There was no hesitation from the group. Finally, after thinking it over, I agreed. I would tell her my feelings the very next day. 

Of course, that’s when the kidnappers showed up. 

I almost lost it, thinking of her in danger. But once I realized she was safe, I calmed down, all of my feeling boiling over into a single crystalized thought:

I loved this girl, and I needed to tell her. 

I wasn’t sure if she would respond or not. I was worried she might even laugh again. But I couldn’t hold back anymore. I could only hope for the best, tell her the truth and ask her how she felt. I squared my shoulders, took a deep breath, and finally spoke what was in my heart.

“I love you.”

* * *

* * *

##  **Epilogue. **

An unknown person was looking through the online message boards. They hesitated upon reading the comment titled. 

“Tragedy at the Coffee Shop” 

Chuckling to themselves, they read the entire post. 

“SPOILERS! Seriously, don’t look at this until you’ve read the newest chapter. 

WHAT THE &*@#W7@#!!! How could the author do this to us?! All of a sudden Jack confesses to someone else? And not even one of the main characters, it’s the freaking COFFEE SHOP GIRL?! What happened to the story?! It’s like none of the events before this even happened! And why was he all of a sudden so reasonable and nice? What happened to my dark brooding hero!! AUTHOR, whoever you are, you better get your act together and FIX THIS! Who would be happy with such an ending?”

The author laughed once more. “Fix it?” they muttered, grinning. “I think she already did just that.” 

Sitting back in their chair, they sighed with relief. 

“I told her she would find her own happiness.”


End file.
